KANSAS CITY, MO — The words proudly displayed on the Bakers National Educational Foundation (BNEF) website offer an invitation to the industry’s next generation: “Your future in baking starts here.” For more than 60 years, the organization has provided financial assistance to develop well-trained industry professionals who are passionate about baking.
BNEF primarily works with Kansas State University, providing scholarships and educational opportunities for those pursuing a career in baking. However, the number of students — including future millers, bakers and suppliers — has dwindled over the years, causing a wave of worry throughout the industry.
John Hinds, operations manager at Cain Food Industries and BNEF board member, shares that the need to support education and recruitment in the baking industry correlates to the shortage.
“The direction the industry is headed — the shortage in personnel, including skilled labor, and the elimination of access to educational materials — shows an opportunity to come together and improve the education and recruitment of new, young talent,” he said.
Introducing people to a career in the baking industry is one of the foundation’s highest priorities. Dave Krishock, manager, bakery technical services at Grain Craft and BNEF’s current chair, highlighted the organization’s efforts to increase student recruitment for the bakery science program at K-State.
“The program in K-State is a well-kept secret for young people looking for a career that pays well,” said John Del Campo, now-retired bakery division manager at Repco and co-treasurer of BNEF. “Most people, even people in the industry, don’t know that a graduate in the K-State bakery science program has virtually guaranteed employment.”
BNEF also assists in coordinating paid internships with ingredient suppliers, equipment manufacturers and baking companies.
“The direction the industry is headed — the shortage in personnel, including skilled labor, and the elimination of access to educational materials — shows an opportunity to come together and improve the education and recruitment of new, young talent.” — John Hinds | operations manager | Cain Food Industries
The internships help familiarize students with processes and, upon completion, generate job offers.
“The internships minimize onboarding time for people as full-time employees,” Krishock said. “Many students do two or three internships, and they may or may not be with the same company, so we’re basically helping to shorten or minimize the onboarding time.”
To expand student capacity, K-State recently celebrated the groundbreaking of its Global Center for Grain and Food Innovation. This expansion furthered the university’s Ag Innovation Initiative, which includes upgrading older facilities and developing an interdisciplinary approach to working with the baking and milling industry.
“Building a new facility is something the program has needed for a long time,” Hinds explained. “Having a state-of-the-art building with state-of-the-art equipment in classrooms is going to attract new talent to K-State’s bakery science and milling science programs, which are mainly what feed our industry.”
But, contrary to wisdom from the classic movie Field of Dreams, building it does not necessarily guarantee they will come.
“I think we’re going to build this nice new building, and it’s going to be fantastic, and it’s going to give us so many opportunities to teach young people,” Hinds said, “but we also have to fill those seats.”
To put it bluntly, jobs in baking are not as appealing to the next generations as they once were. However, BNEF is on a mission to spread knowledge about — and reignite passion for — the baking industry.
To support student recruitment efforts, the new facility will focus on research and development, specifically in the field of grain science.
“This will be a springboard for meaningful research, and BNEF exists to provide students and young people the ability to be at the forefront of that research,” Del Campo said.
Throughout the years, BNEF has relied on financial support from numerous organizations and individuals in the baking industry. When the foundation reached its 60th anniversary, BNEF celebrated contributions from Bimbo Bakeries USA, Bud’s Best Cookies, Cain Food Industries, Crown Bakeries, Glanbia Nutritionals, Homegrown Family Foods, J&K Ingredients, Lesaffre, Mennel Milling, Mother Murphy’s Flavors and Puratos USA, as well as Barry Solomon and the Schwebel Family Foundation.
“These donors have provided funds to support the professorship at K-State and scholarship opportunities as well as possibly grow the financial provisions we provide,” Hinds said. “It doesn’t matter if you’re a billion-dollar corporation or an individual. Everybody who’s given is equally important and is providing us equal opportunity to go out and attack this shortage in the industry.”
Donors who have partnered with BNEF provide not only financial resources but also educational opportunities through internships and seminars.
“I don’t think we could ever thank our donors enough,” Krishock said. “They make it possible for BNEF to be successful.”
While it is a collaborative effort to boost recruitment at K-State, the industry can benefit from a wider array of talented individuals, regardless of their educational backgrounds. BNEF provides resources for schools and universities all over the country that offer avenues into baking careers.
The future of the baking industry depends on skilled individuals who are passionate about delivering high-quality bakery products to consumers. BNEF will continue supporting these individuals … even after the industry is a well-kept secret no more.
This story has been adapted from the August | Q3 2024 issue of Commercial Baking. Read the full story in the digital edition here.
